Intuitive Machines’ second lunar lander, Athena, is on its way to the Moon after launching aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday evening. The lander is scheduled to attempt a touchdown on March 6 in the Mons Mouton region, about 100 miles from the Moon’s south pole—closer than any previous spacecraft has landed.
After launch, Athena successfully powered on, though a delay in its initial check-in caused a brief moment of suspense at Intuitive Machines’ mission control before data confirmed its status.
What to expect during the landing
Athena’s descent will be closely monitored, especially given the lessons learned from Intuitive Machines’ first lander, Odysseus, which landed on the Moon in February 2024 but tipped over upon touchdown. Engineers have conducted extensive testing to ensure Athena avoids a similar fate.
The mission is expected to last approximately 10 Earth days, as the solar-powered lander will cease operations when the sun sets on the lunar surface. However, on March 14 at about 2 am ET, Athena will experience a brief eclipse when the Earth moves between the Moon and the sun. The lander will rely on battery power during this period but is expected to survive.
Where to watch the Athena Moon landing live
The Moon landing will be streamed live on SpaceX’s social media platforms, including YouTube and X. Nasa will also broadcast the event on Nasa+, while Intuitive Machines will provide real-time updates on its official X account.
What is Athena carrying to the Moon?
Athena’s primary payload is a Nasa drill designed to extract lunar soil and analyze its composition for compounds like frozen water. The mission is part of Nasa’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which aims to leverage commercial partners for Moon exploration.
Additionally, the lander is carrying three robotic rovers and a small rocket-powered “hopper.” One rover, the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP), is designed to help test the first cellphone network on the Moon. Built by Lunar Outpost, it will carry a Nokia antenna as part of a Nasa-funded technology demonstration. A tiny MIT-built rover called AstroAnt will ride atop MAPP. Another rover, Yaoki, from Japanese company Dymon, is also on board.
The small hopper, developed under another Nasa contract, is designed to explore hard-to-reach areas using thrusters, similar to how the Ingenuity helicopter operates on Mars. It will attempt to fly into one of the Moon’s permanently shadowed craters while carrying another Nokia antenna.
The Lessons from Odysseus’ Landing
Odysseus, Intuitive Machines’ first lunar lander, reached the Moon’s surface in 2024 but tipped over due to a software issue that rendered its laser altimeter inactive. Engineers had to hastily rewrite the landing software using data from an experimental Nasa instrument, but a key parameter was overlooked, causing the spacecraft to land at an incorrect angle.
Athena is nearly identical in design to Odysseus, known as the Nova-C model, but extensive testing has been conducted to ensure its laser altimeter functions correctly.
Other Spacecraft Traveling with Athena
Three additional spacecraft hitched a ride on the Falcon 9 rocket.
- Lunar Trailblazer: A NASA mission designed to map the Moon’s water distribution from orbit. Unlike Athena, it will take a slower, fuel-efficient route and is expected to reach the Moon in about four months.
- Odin: A small spacecraft from California-based company AstroForge, tasked with examining a near-Earth asteroid for potential metal mining opportunities.
- CHIMERA GEO 1: A satellite deployment spacecraft from Epic Aerospace designed to place small satellites in distant orbits.
Upcoming Moon landings
- Athena is one of several commercial lunar landers launching this year. On January 15, a Falcon 9 rocket carried two other landers:
- Blue Ghost (by Firefly Aerospace), part of Nasa’s CLPS program, is set to land on March 2 in the Mare Crisium region.
- Resilience (Hakuto-R Mission 2 by Ispace), taking an indirect trajectory, is expected to land in May near the Mare Frigoris region.
- Ispace’s first mission in 2023 ended in a crash, making this its second attempt at a successful lunar landing.
